Twelve Years After Columbine

"I am not going to apologize for speaking the name of Jesus . . . If I have to sacrifice everything . . . I will." –Rachel Scott

On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness…

The following is a portion of the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain.  Their blood cries out for answers.

The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent. I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

Your words are empty air.

You've stripped away our heritage,

You've outlawed simple prayer.

Now gunshots fill our classrooms,

 And precious children die

You seek for answers everywhere,

 And ask the question "Why?"

You regulate restrictive laws,

 Through legislative creed..

And yet you fail to understand,

 That God is what we need!

Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties… We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge...Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!”

Rachel Joy Scott
August 5, 1981 - April 20, 1999

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen again.”

Darrell Scott

Rachel’s Tears: 

10 Years After Columbine...Rachel Scott Lives On

By Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott with Steve Rabey
Forward by Chuck Norris New!

Please click below for more information, books and videos on Rachel Scott and the difference that one person sold out to God can make in our world.

http://www.racheljoyscott.com/index.htm

Prayer Letter for January-February 2012

January-February 2012

Dear Co-labourers,

Thank you all for your faithful support and prayers.  They have all been very  needed as the family has gone through the sorrow of the loss of Debbie's father the end of December.  My wife, her mother, and the family are doing well and moving on as God's grace sustains all in the grief process.  

I will be going home to Honduras within a couple of weeks and Debbie will be going to Tacoma, Washington to help our son. Brandon, and his wife, Kathy, during the birth of their third child. Afterward, she will be joining me in Honduras.  

In February, it was a blessing to visit some of our faithful churches in Florida. Later, in the Fall, we hope to finish reporting to the rest of our Florida churches because it has been about 10 years since we last visited.  

In addition to visiting our supporting churches, it was a blessing to be with Eastern Ave. Baptist Church, St. Cloud, Fl. who sent a group to help us build a new church building in Naranjitos, a community where we have worked for about 6-7 years and is located about 30 miles from where we live in La Esperanza. Those guys worked hard and finished the roof just in time to have a celebration service.  It was a happy reunion for me to be with them in their church and see their "mission field".  This church supports our friend and fellow missionary Duane Chase and missionaries Jason and Arlen Stevens.       
     Jason and Arlen are doing a good job among the community Quebrada de Lajas and have obtained the help of a church in Tennessee to come and help with a church building in April.  The foundation is being laid in preparation of their arrival.  Fortunately, this building will be many times easier logistically to build as it is our closest work to La Esperanza.

On the way to meetings in Florida, I dropped off at Glory Land Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala, a good used transmission and a rebuild kit for our Ford trucks to be shipped to Honduras in March.  It will be a blessing to get the parts for repairing our vehicles.  God knows how difficult it is to keep our "Ford tough" trucks and vans running in Honduras.  Repairs and operation of the vehicles are a major expense of the ministry.  We appreciate your prayers.

  Thank you for your prayers for our faithful workers.  Please uphold preachers Hotir, Salvador, Santos, and Clemente in prayers.  Also pray for Leonidas who is recovering from an injury he received while lifting heavy rocks during our building program. In addition, please continue to pray for Jason and Arlen and their two sons. 

  We are so grateful for your faithfulness and love for missions.  How GREAT is your reward in Heaven.  Our prayers are for God's blessings upon each of you.  Pray for America's revival and survival.  It is a critical hour in our history. If God is forced to continue to judge America it WILL affect missions!

In our Lord's willing and joyful service,

Bro. Mike and Debbie Lane 

When Words Are Not Enough

It has been a little over a month and a half since my dad went to be with the Lord.  In spite of that, life just seems to go on, without hardly missing a beat. Being the wife of a pastor/missionary/full time Christian worker for 38 years, I can tell you that I have been to many a funeral and I have lost many relatives, dear friends and co-workers.   I have never said to someone grieving the loss of a close loved one, “I know how you feel” ...because, even though I have felt the loss of people that I dearly loved, I had not lost anyone in my immediate family!  I could only imagine how they might feel, but I had never walked in their shoes.

So, how does it feel, when someone who has been such an essential, vital, and significant part of your life - all your life - is no longer in your life?? Well, it feels like a gaping hole has been left in your heart - your universe!  

It seems to me, that the passing of a life, should cause a “hiccup” in the world’s activities, or at least, cause a small ripple in time.  I must confess to you, that it somewhat puzzles me that your personal world can be shaken to the core and yet the rest of the world in general just keeps going on, taking no notice.  Sometimes, it may be that even those closest to you can be unaware of the depth of pain that you feel. They just don’t get it.  And even though there are others who are sincerely sympathetic and hurting with you, you feel as if you are all alone in a place you have never before been.

That is ...you are all alone, except for God and His Holy Comforter!  If He is there with you, then it is a place full of sweet sadness and there is a solace that only He can give. It is certainly not a place that I would ever want to walk through without Him by my side!  

However, through the death of my Dad, I have also learned that, although there is an aloneness in grief, there is so much comfort in the prayers of others and those who seek bring comfort to you by their kind expressions of sympathy!  It is that love and support of others that is helping us to get from point A (the point of grief) to point B (the place of healing). It makes me think of Christmas Day with Dad, five days before he died.  

Dad’s brother and his wife have, for many years, hosted a family reunion on Christmas afternoon. After talking with the staff at the skilled nursing facility and my aunt and uncle, it was determined that, as long as certain precautions were taken, we could take Dad to the reunion for a few hours.  So, on Christmas afternoon, Mother, Mike and I went to pick up Dad. I signed the appropriate paperwork saying that I would be responsible and make sure that Dad was well taken care of and safe.  That meant that we would make sure he was safely transferred between the van and his wheelchair and did not run out of oxygen.  Be that as it may, when we got to my uncle’s, Dad refused to use the wheelchair or the oxygen!  

Even though I understood that it was a matter of manly pride on Dad’s part, I was terrified!  I was responsible ...and I knew he was not able walk that far!  However, Dad went into the house with the help of someone on either side of him.  With their strong support and help with balance, Dad pretty much walked in and sat down.  Nevertheless, a few hours later when it was time to return to the van, Daddy was so tired that he could not pick up his feet and hold his own weight.  I know that those who helped him back to the van were heartbroken for Dad and would have gladly willed their own strength to him ...but they could not. If he had not had those strong arms on either side to hold him up and propel him to the van, he would never have been able to get from point A to point B.  

That is what every card, note and phone call has been for me ...for my mom and sisters!    At first, I tried to respond to each one.  But later, when I I had time to get online, there were scores of people who, through email and Facebook, had sent messages of sympathy and encouragement and assured us of their prayers.  I would have loved to send a personal message of appreciation to each one, but it was just impossible to do so!  I just could not keep up! 

I would like to use this public format to thank you ALL for every phone call, every sympathy card, every email and every note on Facebook that we received expressing your sympathy and prayers on our behalf.  Some of you I have never even met face to face, yet you took the time to reach out to someone who was hurting. You have taken the time to walk beside us and hold us up when we have needed it the most.  You are helping us to get from point A to point B. The words “thank you” just do not seem enough to convey what is in our hearts.  However, I know no other words!

May our Heavenly Father bless each of you abundantly for reaching out to us and being such a blessing!  

And once again, I would like to say